I read something by a Tim Harlow that caught my attention. He said this is a most unusual weekend to be remembering Good Friday and Resurrection Day while in quarantine. Why? Because there was “only one other Easter that was like this, the first one.” On Good Friday Christ suffered and died on the cross. The disciples were afraid for themselves and soon locked themselves up in a kind of self-quarantine because of fear they would end up dead. Their Passover was ruined, and they were unsure what would happen next.
But while Christ’s death was terrible, cruel, and unjust there came from that darkness a wonderful bright hope. Why? Because that brutal wooden cross is where the vertical met the horizontal. God came down in a vertical way by sending His son Jesus to die on that cross for our sin. We who are horizontal now have the hope of forgiveness by having our sin paid for in full by Christ. That is what is “good” about Good Friday.
Golgotha hill where it is thought Christ was crucified. Golgotha means “place of the skull” which is easily seen in the cliff with three holes in it. Pic taken 2011.
This is depicted clearly by the two criminals suffering on either side of Jesus. The one thief cast abusive insults at Jesus challenging Him to save them. The other robber rebuked the first reminding him to fear God because they were both guilty and deserved to die while Jesus didn’t. He then appealed to Jesus to remember him in heaven. Jesus replied, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” (cf. Mat. 27:44; Lu. 23:39-43)
The Garden Tomb where it is thought Christ resurrected from. It is only a few dozen yards from Golgotha. Pics taken during our 2011 trip there.
The obvious implication is that the first robber rejected Christ and went immediately to hell to suffer for his own sins eternally. The other thief Jesus did promise would be with that very day in “Paradise” because Christ had paid for his sins in full as God required. Therefore, Jesus gave him His righteousness. In reality we are all like thieves who deserve to die a cruel death for our sinfulness against a holy God. We could be cowering in quarantine. But wait, Christ died to remove our sin and if we repent and come to Him for forgiveness, He will give it. The question is, which thief are you?
Pastor Mark
GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE 7 PM Pastor Chris speaking. Livestreamed only. Click here to watch: https://livestream.com/discoverybaptistgigharbor/events/9074975
EASTER MORNING WORSHIP 10:30 AM Pastor Mark speaking on Slow to Believe Livestreamed CLick here to watch: https://livestream.com/discoverybaptistgigharbor/events/9074981